Fell beasts and fell creatures were vague terms used to describe different monstrous, evil, and dangerous animals and other creatures that existed in Middle-earth (but not in Aman)[1] from the Elder Days until the late Third Age. The winged steeds of the Nazgûl[2],[3] in addition to Werewolves,[4] were described as fell beasts. The Nazgûl themselves[5] and hill-trolls[6] were sometimes called fell creatures. In some cases Orcs, Trolls, and Dragons were distinguished from fell beasts.[7]
History
When the Spring of Arda was marred, some beasts became monstrous creatures with horns and tusks.[8] In Utumno, Melkor bred monsters of different shapes and kinds.[9] At these times, Oromë came to Middle-earth as a hunter of monsters and fell creatures[10].[11]
While Melkor was captured by the Valar, not all of his evil creatures were destroyed. They multiplied in the darkness, and even before the return of Morgoth, fell beasts of the North were roaming far and wide in the lands east of the Blue Mountains,[12] so the Nandor who inhabited woods of Eriador were frightened[13] and fled from the plains to the hills[12] or migrated to Ossiriand.[13] Soon fell creatures came even to Beleriand over passes in the mountains and from the dark forests of the south.[14] When Morgoth returned, he gathered countless hosts of beasts, demons, and Orcs in Angband,[15] while the wilderness of Nan Dungortheb was inhabited by fell creatures of Ungoliant[16] including spiders and other monsters.[17]
Fell beasts continued to trouble Middle-earth during the Second Age and the Third Age.[7] In the Third Age, many fell beasts and evil creatures began hunting in the Greenwood when the forest became haunted by darkness.[18] The Witch-king gathered many fell creatures as well as Orcs and evil Men in his realm of Angmar in order to destroy the Dúnedain of Arnor.[19] The Dúnedain of Gondor also faced threats from monsters in addition to Orcs and evil Men.[20] During the War of the Ring, Frodo Baggins had a vision at the Seat of Seeing atop Amon Hen wherein he saw Wood-elves and Woodmen battling against fell beasts in Mirkwood.[21]
Etymology
In relation to the expression "fell things" in The Lord of the Rings,[22] fell means "dreadful, terrible, fierce, cruel" as an archaic English word.
Similar terms
Monsters,[10] fell beings[14], foul creatures[23] and evil creatures[10] were similarly vague and perhaps even more broad terms. Both monstrous spiders[24] and Orcs[25] were sometimes called "foul creatures"[26]. Oliphaunts were sometimes called "monsters"[27] and "great monsters"[28] as well as occasionally "great beasts".
Beasts of Angband was a term to describe all beasts in the hosts of Morgoth,[29] such as wolves and maybe Dragons as well.[30]
Misshapen beasts, alongside demons, Dragons, and Orcs, were among evil things devised by Morgoth in the days of his dominion that continued to trouble Men during the Dark Years of the Second Age.[31]
Spell-enslaved beasts, alongside Orcs, Trolls, Easterlings, and Haradrim, were a part of Sauron's army in the Battle of the Morannon[32].[33] The exact nature of these beasts is unknown.
See also
References
- ↑ S QS.05.020Digital Tolkien Project Citation Systems, The Silmarillion, "Quenta Silmarillion", "Of Eldamar", Paragraph 20
- ↑ LR 5.06.031Digital Tolkien Project Citation Systems, The Lord of the Rings, "The Return of the King", "The Battle of the Pelennor Fields", Paragraph 31
- ↑ LR 5.06.042Digital Tolkien Project Citation Systems, The Lord of the Rings, "The Return of the King", "The Battle of the Pelennor Fields", Paragraph 42
- ↑ S QS.19.011Digital Tolkien Project Citation Systems, The Silmarillion, "Quenta Silmarillion", "Of Beren and Lúthien", Paragraph 11
- ↑ UT 3.04.01.004Digital Tolkien Project Citation Systems, The Unfinished Tales, Pt. 3, Ch. 4, Section 1, Paragraph 4
- ↑ LR 5.10.057Digital Tolkien Project Citation Systems, The Lord of the Rings, "The Return of the King", "The Black Gate Opens", Paragraph 57
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 S RP.043Digital Tolkien Project Citation Systems, The Silmarillion, "Of the Rings of Power", Paragraph 43
- ↑ S QS.01.007Digital Tolkien Project Citation Systems, The Silmarillion, "Quenta Silmarillion", "Of the Beginning of Days", Paragraph 7
- ↑ S QS.03.002Digital Tolkien Project Citation Systems, The Silmarillion, "Quenta Silmarillion", "Of the Coming of the Elves", Paragraph 2
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 S VQ.02.013Digital Tolkien Project Citation Systems, The Silmarillion, "Valaquenta", Ch. 2, Paragraph 13
- ↑ S QS.01.020Digital Tolkien Project Citation Systems, The Silmarillion, "Quenta Silmarillion", "Of the Beginning of Days", Paragraph 20
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 S QS.10.008Digital Tolkien Project Citation Systems, The Silmarillion, "Quenta Silmarillion", "Of the Sindar", Paragraph 8
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 S QS.10.012Digital Tolkien Project Citation Systems, The Silmarillion, "Quenta Silmarillion", "Of the Sindar", Paragraph 12
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 S QS.10.009Digital Tolkien Project Citation Systems, The Silmarillion, "Quenta Silmarillion", "Of the Sindar", Paragraph 9
- ↑ S QS.09.019Digital Tolkien Project Citation Systems, The Silmarillion, "Quenta Silmarillion", "Of the Flight of the Noldor", Paragraph 19
- ↑ S QS.16.006Digital Tolkien Project Citation Systems, The Silmarillion, "Quenta Silmarillion", "Of Maeglin", Paragraph 6
- ↑ S QS.19.013Digital Tolkien Project Citation Systems, The Silmarillion, "Quenta Silmarillion", "Of Beren and Lúthien", Paragraph 13
- ↑ S RP.044Digital Tolkien Project Citation Systems, The Silmarillion, "Of the Rings of Power", Paragraph 44
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix A, "The Númenorean Kings", "Eriador, Arnor, and the Heirs of Isildur", entry about King Malvegil, p. 1040
- ↑ S RP.037Digital Tolkien Project Citation Systems, The Silmarillion, "Of the Rings of Power", Paragraph 37
- ↑ LR 2.10.054Digital Tolkien Project Citation Systems, The Lord of the Rings, "The Fellowship of the Ring", "The Breaking of the Fellowship", Paragraph 54
- ↑ LR 1.03.178Digital Tolkien Project Citation Systems, The Lord of the Rings, "The Fellowship of the Ring", "Three is Company", Paragraph 178
- ↑ LR 4.10.040Digital Tolkien Project Citation Systems, The Lord of the Rings, "The Two Towers", "The Choices of Master Samwise", Paragraph 40
- ↑ S QS.09.018Digital Tolkien Project Citation Systems, The Silmarillion, "Quenta Silmarillion", "Of the Flight of the Noldor", Paragraph 18
- ↑ LR 6.06.048Digital Tolkien Project Citation Systems, The Lord of the Rings, "The Return of the King", "Many Partings", Paragraph 48
- ↑ UT 3.01.00.013Digital Tolkien Project Citation Systems, The Unfinished Tales, Pt. 3, Ch. 1, Section 0, Paragraph 13
- ↑ LR 5.06.071Digital Tolkien Project Citation Systems, The Lord of the Rings, "The Return of the King", "The Battle of the Pelennor Fields", Paragraph 71
- ↑ LR 5.06.053Digital Tolkien Project Citation Systems, The Lord of the Rings, "The Return of the King", "The Battle of the Pelennor Fields", Paragraph 53
- ↑ S QS.20.018Digital Tolkien Project Citation Systems, The Silmarillion, "Quenta Silmarillion", "Of the Fifth Battle", Paragraph 18
- ↑ S QS.20.016Digital Tolkien Project Citation Systems, The Silmarillion, "Quenta Silmarillion", "Of the Fifth Battle", Paragraph 16
- ↑ S AK.003Digital Tolkien Project Citation Systems, The Silmarillion, "Akallabêth", Paragraph 3
- ↑ The Chronology of The Lord of the Rings, V. A Published Chronology: Appendix B, 1. "Here at the end of all things", pp. 149 (entry for March 25 in Table 14 continued)
- ↑ LR 6.04.009Digital Tolkien Project Citation Systems, The Lord of the Rings, "The Return of the King", "The Field of Cormallen", Paragraph 9